Granny Smith Gold Mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Granny Smith Gold Mine Location in Australia | |
| Location | Laverton |
| State | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 28°59′S 122°41′E / 28.983°S 122.683°ECoordinates: 28°59′S 122°41′E / 28.983°S 122.683°E |
| Production | |
| Production | 352,000 [1] |
| Financial year | 2009 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Goldfields |
| Website | Barrick website |
| Year of acquisition | 2006 |
The Granny Smith Gold Mine is a gold mine 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Laverton, Western Australia near Mount Weld.
It is operated by Goldfields and, since the end of 2013, part of its Yilgarn South operation, which consists of Granny Smith, the Lawlers Gold Mine and the Darlot-Centenary Gold Mine.
History
The Granny Smith gold deposit was discovered in 1979.[2]
Construction of the mine took place in the late 1980s.[3]
The project was originally owned by Delta Gold Ltd, which became Auriongold Ltd in February 2002. Aurion was taken over by Placer Dome Inc in 2003, who already held a 60% interest in the mine,[4] and Placer Dome in turn by Barrick Gold in March 2006.[5]
A large amount of ore processed at Granny Smith originated from the Wallaby deposit, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the mine, and was hauled to the Granny Smith mill for processing.[6][7] Open pit mining at Wallaby ceased in September 2006, followed by a ramp up of underground mining at the location.[8]
In February 2009, Barrick signed a Memorandum of understanding with Crescent Gold to purchase ore from their Laverton Gold Mine and mill it at Granny Smith.[9][10] In January 2010, an agreement was signed with Range River Gold to purchase ore from the Mount Morgans Gold Mine and treat it at Granny Smith from February 2010 onwards.[11]
Environment
In 1999, abandoned mining pits at Granny Smith were used for trials on breeding Silver Perch and Barramundi in salty water.[12]
Production
Granny Smith
Production of the mine as an individual entity:[13]
| Year | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 1996 | 312,262 ounces | ||
| 1997 | 376,386 ounces | ||
| 1998 | 604,806 ounces | ||
| 1999 [14] | 523,092 ounces | 4.52 g/t | A$161 |
| 2000 [14] | 412,049 ounces | 3.94 g/t | A$340 |
| 2001 [14] | 347,179 ounces | 3.28 g/t | A$338 |
| 2002 | 358,648 ounces | ||
| 2003 | 307,341 ounces | ||
| 2004 | 293,228 ounces | ||
| 2005 | 278,806 ounces | ||
| 2006 [15] | 314,000 ounces | 0.108 oz/t | US$ 401 |
| 2007 [15] | 175,000 ounces | 0.056 oz/t | US$651 |
Yilgarn South
Production figures for the Yilgarn South operation, consisting of Darlot, Granny Smith and Lawlers.
| Year | Gold production |
Grade oz/ton |
Cost per ounce (US$/oz) |
| 2007 [16] | 410,000 ounces | 0.117 | 486 |
| 2008 [16] | 325,000 ounces | 0.125 | 749 |
| 2009 | 352,000 ounces | 685 |
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean
- Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 Page 34: Principal Mineral and Petroleum Producers - Gold
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Granny Smith Gold Mine. |
References
- ↑ Combined figure for the Yilgarn South operation
- ↑ Australian Mining History accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ HISTORIC PICTURES RELEASED TO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY Thiess Pty Ltd announcement, published: 17 November 2009, accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ Placer Dome Seeks to Buy 2 Mining Concerns for $600 Million The New York Times, published: 29 November 1996, accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ MINEDEX website - Granny Smith search result, accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ Wallaby infomine.com, accessed: 2 January
- ↑ Laverton Gold Project Crescent Gold website, accessed: 2 January
- ↑ Department of Environment and Conservation - Works approval accessed: 3 January 2010
- ↑ Crescent Gold signs landmark MOU with Barrick Gold over WA gold resource proactiveinvestors.com.au, published: 24 February 2009, accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ Deal paves way for Laverton gold mining ABC News, published: 22 June 2009, accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ Mt Morgans - Ore Sale Terms agreed with Barrick River Gold ASX announcement, published: 27 January 2010, accessed: 9 February 2010
- ↑ Fishing the goldfields ABC - The World Today, broadcast: 11 October 1999, accessed: 2 January 2010
- ↑ Granny Smith Gold Mine 24hgold.com, accessed: 2 January 2010
- 1 2 3 The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, page 90
- 1 2 Fourth Quarter & Year-End Mine Statistics 2007 accessed: 1 January 2010
- 1 2 Fourth Quarter & Year-End Mine Statistics 2008 accessed: 1 January 2010